sleep medicines

[JeffH]

Jeff,

I als have problems getting small doses.

I bought some Melatonin strips made by Jamieson.

Each strip is 3mg, I divide it into 8 pieces to give 0.375 mg.

The strips can be cut to different dosages. I cut a lot at one time and put them into a medicine vial.

http://www.jamiesonvitamins.com/product_item.asp?id=482

I have been taking melatonin for about 3 years. 1/4 of 1 mil. 15 minutes before i go to bed. I get great sleep all night long.

Works for me.

Hope this helps.

Bert

Bert, where do you get that small a dose?

Thanks Selfseeker

[Rachael]

I have had horrible luck with prescription sleep meds. Bad side effects, and felt worse. I have read in a few places that benzodiazapam class meds (valium, etc.) reduce deep sleep, and the newer sleep drugs are directly related to the older benzodiazapam drugs. I do not know if they also reduce deep sleep.

I think Melatonin only works if you have a serotonin deficiancy or have a hard time converting serotonin to melatonin. So, try it, if it will work you should know quickly. Higher doses than 3mg are often discouraged on medical web-sites, but I don't know why.

I have had good luck taking GABA. I have alpha delta sleep, and the only drug that they recommend for that is ... shoot, I am blanking on it... Zyrem? It effects the GABA systems, and also possibly serotonin and dopamine. It is onerous to obtain, and has lots of side effects so I have decided not to try it. I was taking 100 mg 5Htp (a serotonin precursor,) at bedtime for headaches, which is sometimes also recommended for sleep, and I figure the combo of GABA and 5Htp should allow my body to have the raw materials to address whatever is causing the alpha delta sleep. This is sheer speculation on my part based on my understanding of the issues, no research supports this.

But GABA is present in lots of stuff, like rice, it is supposed to be pretty safe. It definitely mellows me out. Might be worth a try.

[gracie97]

I thank all of the noble friends who guided me here on the subject of sleep medicines. In reply to Gracie 97, I would like to state, that I have neither any pain nor suffer from any other medical condition, except apnea. I would like to know, that after trying melotinin, ambien and trizadone, which is the medicine which you are now finally using or whether you are using them on alterntive basis Gracie. I wish to benefit from the experience of this very august forum. Of course,I am trying to vigorously exercise and diepsense with 3 mg of melotinin, but if i leave it i get up at 3 am in the morning and keep waking. So what does the jury says about the benefits of either of these sleep medicines. Should I use malotinin by breaking 3 mg tablets in several pieces because 1/4 mg is not available in the market. yoru guidance will be gratefully acknowledged

Once in a while I use a 1/4 melatonin for a night or two. Trazadone has a paradoxical effect on me, and I gain weight like mad on even tiny doses of tricyclics.

Lately I'm taking 6.25 mg of time release (CR) Ambien per night. This is down from about 10 mg of regular Ambien, and I'm hoping to get off it altogether through consistent evening exercise and some more light manipulation tricks my insomnia is largely due to DSPS).

In the US, melatonin is available in smaller doses, usually as sublingual tablets. Mine are .5 mg, and I just break them in half. I know it's harder to get in many other parts of the world, even a prescription-only medication in Europe. There are concerns about the safety of using a hormone like melatonin on an ongoing basis, and since hasn't been proven to be more effective in larger doses, it may be best to stick to 1/4 mg to be safe.

Grace

[gracie97]

But GABA is present in lots of stuff, like rice, it is supposed to be pretty safe. It definitely mellows me out. Might be worth a try.

It's a good idea to eat carbohydrate foods only within a couple hours of bedtime as they increase serotonin levels. Protein increases norephinephrine, the neurohormone that is linked to alertness.

[Jere]

I have suffered from insomnia for more than 20 years. I have read the posts in this thread and I have a few observations:

1. Melatonin. I have tried this and find it ineffective. Nevertheless, I wonder what makes melatonin any more or less acceptable than prescription sleep aids.

2. Prescription Drugs. I have tried a lot. Ambien (works best if taken occasionally; can cause next day hangover); attivan (used it for close to 10 years and it works well, but eventually the amount I needed increased beyond the bounds of safety); clonopin (taking this now and works well; I am in the process of cutting my dose to reduce next day hangover).

3. Antidepressants. Tried several, but they either made no difference to my sleep issues or made things much worse.

3. My issue has always been anxiety (and thus sleep onset insomnia). I finally found a pharma-psychiatrist who would work with my sleep doc and together they decided to put me on low-dose lithium (no - I am not bipolar). Of all of the medication I have taken to combat my anxiety (and resulting insomnia), it has been the lithium that has all but solved my problems.

I raise the above not as a recommendation of any kind but simply to point out that everyone reacts differently depending on the underlying issues. The biggest problem I had to overcome was finding competent doctors who were willing to take my anxiety/insomnia seriously.

Good Luck!